Both these 4K TV’s are wonderful, however overall the Samsung gives a better and brighter picture, with vivid natural colors and an excellent harmonic motion. There is however one very strong reason, why Samsung should be chosen over the LG when it comes to comparison.
Our mother Earth is rapidly heading to global warming and a climate change catastrophe with record-high CO2 emissions. There is a slight difference of 14 Watts per hour in electricity consumption between the two TV’s. (42 Watts Samsung vs. 56 Watts LG).
Doesn’t sound much does that? but if every single person in the USA saved 14 watts per hour or 56 Watts a day with 4 hour of average TV use. Collectively with a 327 million USA population that would translate to 21974.4 $ saved in a day, 0.659 million $ a month and almost 7.91 million $ in electricity bills in a year!
Samsung and LG TVs – Same Screen Size
So that’s really up to the users if they want to make that small sacrifice that would collectively make a huge difference to our extremely troubled Mother Earth regarding CO2 emissions by having to produce more electric power.
Say Hello to the Samsung NU8000
Comparing the duo 4K UHD TV’s, The Samsung NU8000 is a little better when we compare that to LG SK8000 Vs Samsung NU8000.
Picture quality
The HDR viewed motion is in complete harmony and very smooth as that supports the FreeSync variable refresh rate of up to 240HZ, this eliminates screen tearing and faltering. What that practically means is that if a low input signal of 30 FPS is received, the TV will adjust to the lower frame rate. Running 240 FPS on a 30FPS input signal is of no use. A standard HD TV has a 30 FPS refresh rate. (FPS frames per second. Samsung has better contrast, better black uniformity as well as black detailing and gives an overall brighter picture.
Pixels
A normal HD (High definition)TV has 1080 pixels and a 4K TV has 3840 *22160 pixels or about 4 times more pixels. Yes, having 4 times the pixels in both these UHD TV’s give a wonderfully noticeable and more clearer picture than the1080 pixel HD TV’s. UHD stands for ultra-high definition.
Color production
The SDR/HDR (SDR standard dynamic range, 4K HDR high dynamic range) modes in the Samsung have very accurate color reproduction, that is lifelike, realistic and natural throughout the complete color gamut(entire color range). The variation in color accuracy has been lab-tested to be beyond what the human eye can perceive.
Lag Time
The lag time in regards to inputs is around 13 milliseconds. Such are amongst the fastest ever tested on TVs. For gaming, this is a very admirable feature.
Design
Both TV’S are a notch, slightly below the top premium TV’s available and are a choice for the best value TV’s for the upper-middle class. The duo offer close performance, however, the Samsung SU8000 does seem to have an overall edge.FreeSync is used on the Samsung without the need for a license and this eliminates screen tearing and faltering, all thanks to the 240FPS, frames per second adjustable refresh rate. A definite plus point, a feature worth having in a 4K UHD TV.
IPS panel
The IPS panel on the LG gives that a better picture with true colors up to an angle of 60 degrees. Conversely, the Samsung NU8000 is good only for front viewing, with distorted colors on the screen when viewed from an angle. LG is appropriate for a regular lit room with broad seating, The TV has poor blacks that is why it is not appropriate for viewing movies in a dark room.
Flicker rate
The LG SK8000 has a 60 to120 FPS flicker rate. The higher 120FPS has to be selected and does not automatically adjust to high or low inputs. A smooth motion is observed due to the high 120Hz That is worth noting that most HD TV’s have a 30 FPS rate.
Deep black display
The LG SK8000 doesn’t display a deep black very well, this shade being displayed more like a dark grey, especially when viewed from an angle. This TV has a poor contrast ratio.
LG SK8000 – A better choice?
There are some features on the LG SK8000 that are in fact better than the Samsung.
Better Screen View
LG has a better screen view when viewed from oblique side angles. This is due to an IPS panel, a recommended LG bass reflex speaker system that gives a close to a real drum-like bass even at low volumes, suitable for conversations with the TV volume at normal levels, A wider display platform in an aesthetically metal curved table-mounted stand, as well as more features.
Amazing Bass with Bass-Reflex Speakers
Bass reflex speakers do not come standard with the TV however LG bass-reflex speakers are recommended and match quite well with this TV set. The audio output being a total of 40 Watts, with 20 Watts per speaker. This a very plus point for LG.
Overall Audio
Dolby Atmos is inbuilt in the LG audio system while the Samsung output is without any Dolby. A quality Dolby Atmos system output is standard on the LG from the output ports. Samsung TV does not have a Dolby Atmos system. Bass reflex gives a loud THUD of BASS even at low volumes that are very entertaining and life-like.
At high volumes the Bass may not be all that different compared to other speakers, however listening to the TV at normal levels, for examples eating collective meals on the dining table with the TV at normal volume, where a conversation could be held, then, that extra THUD in BASS would be more akin to a life-like DRUM BASS.
In some bass-reflex, the sound travels through a maze-like channel, enhancing the base, and then exiting the speaker box through a jet-like outlet, that delivers the drum sound, life-like THUD. In quite a few bass-reflex speakers there is no inner maze-like sound travel channel, but just a single jet-like exit point for the produced base air in the speaker box to exit.
Let’s Talk about LG SK8000 Vs Samsung NU8000 in Detail
The display quality of Samsung is overall better but the sound quality and built quality of LG seem pretty great too. So let’s dive into a deeper comparison of LG and Samsung and see which one is a better choice to make.
Screen Size Comparison
Samsung NU8000 is available in 49”-55”-65”-75” and an 82” screen
LG SK8000 can be purchased in 49”55”-65” SCREEN SIZES
Design Comparison
Samsung is really advancing in technology from vacuum cleaners to television. The Samsung is the thinner of the two when viewed from a side angle being 2.28” vs 2.64”. When viewed from the front, the screen bezel (frame) is very slender. The top and side bezel is made of a very attractive black metal finish. The lower potion straight frame bezel is made of a brushed grey metallic finish, giving it’s frame a striking two-tone contrast. The Samsung logo being in the center and does not illuminate.
The rear portion has a channel groove to guide the cable wires in the back portion that are then intelligently routed through the vertical part of the stand, before exiting. This hides the cables from view.
The stand is of a good quality also finished in dark metallic grey as in the lower bezel. That is stable as the smaller center portion of the stand juts out wider than the LG forming a T with the straight main stand bar. A little wobble is noticed if the TV is shaken as the single vertical main balance beam is in the center and that is also the same situation with the LG SK8000. The slender bezel edges are rounded.
The input ports are at the right side of the back panel when viewed from the front of the screen. 4 HDMI ports are available. The ports are easily accessible when the TV is mounted on a wall.
Build quality of the TV is good.
Screen Chassis and Stands
The LG chassis is of a lighter color than the Samsung, combining light grey with the silver metallic finished curved stand. The frame bezels are also slender, being 0.3mm thicker than the Samsung. The bezel edges are not rounded and are at a sharp 90 degrees.
Back panel built quality is good with a light grey finish. The port connections are on the left side when viewed from the front. The TV stand is aesthetically beautiful, being made of curved metal. The length of the curved stand is slightly longer than Samsung’s. There is a hook at the back of the stand beam to route the cables.
As the TV is mounted only by a single center beam, along with a beautifully curved stand parallel to the table, if knocked, the TV will wobble slightly.
Remote Controls
Samsung has two remote controls. The primary one is a conventional remote with a button function.
The next remote is a mike control meant for voice commands.
That is very effective for all the basic functions as well as on different apps including a Google search.
LG has a single control located in the bottom center of the screen for all basic functions in order to receive remote signals. This is operated by a conventional handheld remote.
Local Dimming
The local dimming on Samsung is mediocre. Vertical columns of the backlight are used to create dimming.
That would mean that dimming is more effective in the vertical areas whereas side to side dimming would differ from area to area. The TV is conservative with the dimming and at times increases the blacks to create visible blooming.
This is typical with LCD TVs having most of the LEDs embedded near the lower portion of the screen. TV’s with full array dimming are much more effective.
LG SK8000 also has the main LEDs near the lower part of the screen and the dimming is even less effective than the Samsung NU8000.
Contrast Ratio and Brightness Levels
Consisting of a VA panel the contrast ratio is high in Samsung. By contrast ratio we mean the rich span of shades between a Black and a white thereby providing a wide shade contrast. The Samsung having an approximate 5400:1 while the LG has a 1100:1 contrast ratio, so the Samsung is much better in this respect, showing deep blacks, as well as detailing within the blacks. In comparison, the IPS panel has a low contrast ratio on the LG where blacks appear as greys.
With a peak brightness of around 850 nits HIGH and an average brightness of just under 600 nits, the Samsung SU 8000 is quite good in brightness.
With 530 nits HIGH and an average of about 300 nits, the LG SK8000 is lower in brightness levels when it comes to the LG SK8000 Vs Samsung NU8000.
Upscaling and Reflection on Screen
Upscaling is a process in which a lower resolution pixels picture like 480,720 and SD 1080 pixels is reorganized to display a high-resolution 4K picture, being 3840 * 2160 pixels.
In both these TV’s the upscaling is fairly accurate.
Both TV’s display good anti-reflection properties and both screens have a semi-gloss finish. Reflections appear hazy, but this also works to reduce their intensity. The Anti, reflective coating isn’t so good compared to other TV’s, however, are adequate for both the sets.
While Samsung’s reflection handling is good, LG has excellent anti-glare qualities.
Conclusion
The Samsung NU8000 4K UHD is excellent value for money and overall, a better performer, with Free sync automatically adjustable variable frame rate of 240Hz, one of the highest available, the TV gives a seamless harmonic motion picture.
The picture brightness is good and the color gamut (full-color spectrum) is excellent giving realistic life-like and natural colors such as human skin tone.
That has been lab-tested and the color variations are so minimal that these are beyond the human eye perception. The native contrast is excellent making the blank syncs very apparent. Detailing in black being excellent.
The TV has one of the lowest lab-tested times of 13 milliseconds, making that very quick and responsive for gaming. In the Cons, the colors look jaded when viewed from steep side angles, this is due to TV operations on the VA panel.
Local dimming is poor as regards uniformity. That is that due to most of the LEDs placed in the lower portion of the screen, thus operating in vertical columns and the side zone contrast thus having variations. TVs with a full array dimming are better in the dimming department. That said, the TV is overall, a wonderful performer.
The LG SK8000 4K UHD is a good choice TV if wide seated viewing is frequently carried out and viewed in a room with average brightness. Due to the IPS panel, color distortion is minimal when viewed from an angle of up to 60 degrees. Colour brightness and accuracy is a notch below the Samsung NU8000.
The TV is not suitable for viewing in a dark room, for example with the children asleep, while listening with headphones, this is due to a poor native contrast ratio, typical of an IPS panel that displays blacks as grays in a darkroom making detailing in the blacks not so good.
Gaming is good in this TV having a good response time due to millions of individual Nano pixels within the IPS screen. A positive point for this TV is an audio output of 40 Watts, 20Watts each, with a built-in Dolby Atmos system
Samsung, in contrast, doesn’t have a Dolby Atmos. And like Samsung, this TV has poor local dimming.